Benchtop Microfluidic Cell Sorter: WOLF

Cell sorting made for every lab

Live cells can be damaged by conventional cell sorters, resulting in a low-quality cell population. At <2 psi, the WOLF’s microfluidic channel is gentler than any conventional cell sorter or flow cytometer, allowing for higher populations of healthy, sorted cells with improved cell viability.

There’s no need to be a flow cytometry expert in order to use the WOLF. The software interface is intuitive, user-friendly and simple. There is no fluidics cart, and the optics are fixed – resulting in less complexity, less clean-up, and more time for experiments.

The WOLF allows for maximum flexibility, accessibility and convenience as a benchtop cell sorter in individual labs. At 2 cubic feet, the WOLF has a small footprint and easily fits inside a biosafety cabinet.

The WOLF doesn’t need a fluidics cart and uses a disposable cartridges so maintenance is simple and economical. Save money on important experiments by using an affordable and approachable cell sorter.

The WOLF utilizes a sterile and disposable cartridge, which makes sorting biohazardous samples safe by not producing any aerosols. Cross-contamination is never an issue, as every cartridge is disposable and allows for a clean sample run, every time.

Simple, Benchtop Cell Sorter

The WOLF was designed and created by a team of scientists and engineers who wanted to solve a classic challenge in biological research: how to sort cells of high quality effectively and easily. NanoCellect has created an entirely new type of microfluidic cell sorter that extends modern flow cytometry methods. By using proven detection technologies, NanoCellect focuses on innovative cartridge technology (commonly known as a “microfluidic chip”) and accessible, intuitive software that makes the operation simple and safe for researchers and their samples. The WOLF benchtop flow cytometry cell sorter allows for the gentle separation of cell types in bulk sorting and the isolation and dispensing of individual cells into plates. Single-cell sorting is completed in 96- or 384-well plates when using the WOLF with the N1 Single Cell Dispenser. This flexibility and performance allows users to complete sorting experiments across different research fields and application areas like single-cell genomics, cell line development, gene editing, antibody discovery, stem cell cloning, genomic sample prep, and more.

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The WOLF is a technology that enables small companies to do things they could not do before.” “The microfluidics capability is something that I have been excited about. The nature of how the WOLF works is being extremely attractive to us. Some of the experiments we’d like to do in the future could not be done on any other device.

Justin Chartron, Ph.D. Protabit LLC

Neurons are extremely delicate so the selection step should be the least disturbing of all if we want to have reliable results. When we tried the WOLF, we were extremely surprised that our cells were very healthy and viability was above 90%, sometimes above 95% which is very impressive.

Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk, M.Sc.,Ph.D. University of California Irvine

A great machine that has helped us take our cell-engineering pipeline to the next level!

Ronan O'Connell Rice University

The NanoCellect team and technical specialist have been awesome. After two test runs with very involved training/assistance, we have been very pleased with the results. The equipment is intuitive and the sorts have been very clean.

B. Davenport, Ph.D. University of Colorado

NanoCellect Customer Support team has been fantastic in helping us get up and running. The instrument is a helpful tool in our cell line development workflow.

Douglas Austen Takeda Pharmaceuticals

The NanoCellect customer support team is really helpful, knowledgeable and efficient; the WOLF is a great tool in our stem cell research workflow

Helen Miranda, Ph.D. Case Western Reserve University

Product Features

Cartridge based fluidics

Fluidics

Sample Input

1.5 and 5.0 mL tubes

Sheath Input

50 mL Conical Tubes

Sheath Fluid

PBS or Buffer of Choice

Sheath Fluid Usage

7.5 mL/Hour

Sample Flow Rate

24 ul/Minute

Sheath Flow Rate

160 uL/Minute

Dead Volume

50 uL

Minimum Sample Volume

150 uL

Tubing Diameter (Inner)

200 to 500 um

Flow Cell

200 x 70 um

Smaller Channel Diamter

50 um

Sample Pressure

< 2psi

Cartridge based fluidics

NanoCellect utilizes unique and proprietary microfluidic sorting cartridges for bulk sorting and single-cell dispensing. The cartridges employ a piezoelectric actuator and operates at less than 2 psi allows for gentle sorting that preserves viability and RNA integrity. Cartridges have a 100% disposable fluidic pathway, making it ideal for labs with many samples where cross-contamination or biohazard cleanup is an issue. The microfluidic cartridges are sterile and produce no aerosols, making it some of the safest sorting on the market. The cartridges also allow for maximum flexibility by allowing users to sort using their own buffers and media and only consume about 50 mL of sheath fluid in 1 day.

Optics

Excitation

488 nm; 30 mW diode laser
(rated at 45,000 hr life)

Laser Profile

25 x 27 µm

Scatter Detection

Forward (0 Degrees, +/-15)
Back (180 Degrees, +/-15)

Emission Detection

3 Colors, Bandpass Filters: 525 ± 25 nm (FITC, GFP) 585 ± 20 nm (PE) 665 Longpass (PI, PE-CY5, mCherry, tdTomato)

Optical Alignment

Fixed alignment, no maintenance required

Product Specs Table Optics

The WOLF uses laser-based flow cytometry technology for detecting and sorting a variety of cell types, including mammalian, plant, fungal, and bacterial cells. The WOLF utilizes typical Forward- (FSC) and Back- (BSC) scatter detectors—as well as 3 fluorescent channels excited by the blue (488 nm) laser. In combination with the N1 single cell dispenser, scientists can complete both bulk and single-cell sorting. A simple cytometer, with powerful impact, allows researchers to sort their own cells on their own bench.

Software

WOLFViewer software walks users though a simple workflow by offering step-by-step wizards to make the sorting process as straightforward as possible. As a result, the software uses an intuitive workflow allowing users to quickly complete setup.
After setup, WOLFViewer makes analyzing and creating gates simple—while still providing full-featured flow cytometry tools.
Key tools like automatic compensation and index sorting, are streamlined and included.
When sorting is complete, shutdown and cleanup is literally less than a minute, allowing users to rapidly conclude their work.
The WOLF’s performance specifications support a wide variety of sorting applications across mammalian, plant, fungal and bacterial cells for cloning workflows and sample preparation work upstream of genomics analyses. The WOLF can resolve lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes, as well as microbial cells down to 1 um—and larger cells up to 60 um. Users can expect a sorting speed of up to 300 events per second. Researchers have the option of 2-way sorts for bulk sorting and 1-way sorts for single-cell dispensing.
The WOLF is a simple, benchtop system that can easily be moved from lab-to-lab or into and out of biosafety cabinets. At 2 cubic feet and 44 pounds, the WOLF provides full-featured performance without taking up valuable lab space.

Performance

Scatter Resolution

Resolves lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes

Fluorescence Resolution

8 peak separation with the Spherotech Rainbow calibration beads in the 3 fluorescence channels

Analysis Speed

>5,000 events/second

Sorting

1 and 2 way

Back-to-back Sorting Speed

200 events per second

Absolute Counts

Yes

Volumetric Analysis

Yes

Warm-up Time

Less than 1 minute

Sorting Output

1.5 mL and 5.0 mL, 96- and 384-well plates

Sorting Purity

Up to 99% purity

Performance

The WOLF’s performance specifications allow users to complete various types of sorts for a variety of applications that may be occurring in their lab, for the ultimate in flexibility. The WOLF can resolve lymphocytes, monocytes, and granulocytes, as well as microbial cells down to 1 um, and up to 60 um. Users can expect a sorting speed of up to 300 events per second maximally. Researchers have the option of 2-way sorts for bulk sorting and 1-way sorts for single-cell dispensing.

Physical Specifications

WOLF Dimensions

15.5W x 14.4H x 15D in (39.34 x 36.6 x 38.1 cm)

WOLF Weight

44 lbs / 20 kg

WOLF Electrical

AC Input: 100-240V, 50-60Hz, 3-1.5A

N1 Dimensions

8.42W x 6.5H x 8.34D in (21.4 x 16.5 x 20.9)

N1 Weight

5.5 lbs / 2.5 kg

N1 Electrical

DC Input: 24V 1A

Physical Dimensions

The WOLF is a simple, benchtop system that can easily be moved from lab-to-lab, and fits into biosafety cabinets. At 2 cubic feet and 44 pounds, researchers will not need to worry about the system taking up precious lab space.

Applications Overview

The NanoCellect WOLF cell sorter is a powerful tool used for a variety of applications, including antibody discovery, single cell sorting and plating, genomics, single cell RNA sequencing, plant biology, gene editing, cell line development, and discovering microorganisms in ocean or pond water. The WOLF is designed to gently sort happy, healthy cells using a sterile cartridge-based microfluidics system. The WOLF cell sorter is ideal for tasks like cell line development and sorting plant protoplasts,
as well as for monoclonal outgrowth of iPSCs and microalgae.